Page 114 of Kissing the Villain

“No,” he growled. “Open this fucking door before I break it down.”

“I can’t take this shit anymore,” I shouted. “Just leave me alone!”

“What are you doing in there, baby?” Luca threw his weight into the door like he was trying to break it down. “You better not be hurting yourself.”

“Luca, I’m not suicidal. Please, give me some space.”

“Mi dispiace bellissima,” he said in Italian.

I’m sorry, beautiful.

“I don’t care how many languages you know,” I screamed. “Your words have no meaning. You tricked me into thinking those words were synonymous with love. I feel betrayed, Luca. Please give me some room to breathe without hovering over me.”

He punched the door and cursed. “Fine. Have it your way. But I’m not giving up on you.”

45

ALEX

That night,I dreamed of my Devil and his Knights. Once again, we were in The Devil’s Knights Temple, hidden deep beneath Devil’s Creek. An eerie silence fell over the room lit by dozens of candles. It was intimate and romantic, but what we were about to do together was far from romance.

Luca stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders. “Choose them.” He pressed his lips to my earlobe, sending a shiver down my spine. “The queen must accept her Knights.”

The Knights kneeled around me, hoods covering their lowered heads.

I glanced over my shoulder at Luca, fear shaking through me. “How many do I have to choose?”

His thumb stroked my cheek. “It’s up to you, my queen.”

I stood in front of the Knights, my naked body on display. Luca was my first kiss, first sexual encounter, first everything. My first and only love. I was doing this because I was in love with him. I wanted to make him happy and become his queen.

I moved toward the man in front of me. Even with his hood down, I knew it was Marcello. I could sense him anywhere. Like Luca, he was a part of me. I had a different connection with eachof the Knights. I felt that spark when I met them and knew I belonged with them.

I shoved the hood off Marcello’s head, and his eyes met mine with a fierceness I’d never seen on his handsome face. He looked so damn sexy I licked my lips, and he returned the gesture as he studied my body with care.

“I choose you, Marcello Salvatore.” I moved my hand to his cheek and smiled. “Do you swear to protect your queen, now and forever?”

He nodded. “I do.”

“Marcello,”I screamed as I shot up from the bed, clutching my chest.

Fear shot down my trembling arms and stirred in my belly. My heart raced as fast as a pack of wolves moving at full speed. I rolled onto my side, looked over at the armchair by the window, where Marcello usually sat, and drank his scotch as he watched me sketch.

For the first time in weeks, Marcello wasn’t by my side. My chest ached from the loss. I needed to see him, so I climbed out of bed and headed toward the door. Roman hadn’t survived the attack. His replacement, Dom, a twenty-something guy, stood outside my bedroom with his back against the wall.

He stared at me, arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in a black suit and had dark hair, olive skin, and a scar that ran down his neck. He looked dangerous and scared me. But he was here for my protection. Supposedly, he was one of Marcello’s best men.

Dom pushed himself off the wall and slowly approached me. “Everything okay, Miss Wellington?”

“Yes.” I stepped into the hallway, closing the distance. “I need to see Marcello. Where is his room?”

He tipped his head to the right. “Mr. Salvatore moved him into the room beside you.”

That wasn’t his actual bedroom. Marcello slept on the top floor of this monstrous house, but I’d never seen where he laid his head at night. We weren’t there yet.

I thanked Dom and then headed toward Marcello’s temporary bedroom. It was dark inside, the only light from the moonlight filtering through the curtains. The room mirrored mine and had a balcony overlooking the bay and an ensuite bathroom.

Leaving the door open a crack, I used the light from the hallway sconces to lead the way. Marcello slept in a four-poster bed under a mound of blankets. There was a hospital bed beside it, and I guessed the medical staff left it there in case shit went south and they needed to move him.

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